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E82 / E87 / E88 1 Series (2008 - 2013) BMWs throw back to the iconic 2002, with a renewed form and function. The smallest car in BMW's line up but still packs a punch. Available in coupe or convertible, powered by a naturaly aspirated inline 6 in the 128 or the turbo twin power inline 6 rocket sled 135.

I have the 2011 BMW 135 M Package Coupe with the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A RFT tires. I have slightly over 18,300 miles & my dealer told me I need new tires on the rears and alignment. This is my 3rd BMW, had a 335 before this & I do not remember having to change my tires at 18,000 miles. I think it was somewhere around 24,000. And my 335 I used to take to the track, I have yet to do that with my 135.

In any case I lease the car and every BMW I have leased I had to buy rear tires once for each car which is normal. Judging by my current mileage it seems like I might have to replace these tires again before I return the car. Which is very poor since my only issue ever with my BMW cars has been that they put these terrible run flats on them.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to other tire options? I live in NJ so snow can sometimes be a factor, as my car is useless if there is any snow on the ground. I did some research on tirerack.com and have seen other tire options out there but just looking to see if anyone else has tried other tires already. So mainly looking for a rear tire that will last longer. If it is better in the snow than thats a plus as well, but not really looking to buy new tires in another 18,000 miles.

Additionally is the alignment important? I dont understand why I couldnt just remove the tires in my driveway without alignment at 18,000 miles.

Did they check your alignment (or is it based on inspecting your tires)? Or are they saying you need a new alignment after replacing the tires? Your current poor alignment could be why you need new tires, since they could have worn un-even. So, replace the tires and fix your alignment to prevent the un-even wear.

Correct, they are saying I need a new alignment after I add on new tires. No problem on getting new tires, the tread is low on the rears for sure. Just trying to determine if there are better tires out there than these low profile run flats. Not a big fan of these bridgestonetires. I have had other run flats on other bmws in the past that were much better.

Do you plan on driving the car in temps below 40F? If so, are you good with swapping tires and/or wheels for the winter and swapping back for the summer? Do you want to keep running runflats or are you good going to a regular tire?

I've heard people rave about the Michelin PSS, but they are not run flats. Not sure why you need an alignment after a tire change. I've replaced tires in the past without one and never had tire wear/handling issues afterwards.

I would recommend visiting Tirerack.com and reading the reviews on possible replacements (RFT and non-RFT).

@iron man - thanks, i actually started checking out tirerack reviews after i posted yesterday. considering the michelin pilot super sport. i guess i just have to find out what my options can be since its a lease & i will have to turn the car in at the end. i agree the alignment sounded fishy to me.

@nd40oz - i dont take it out in the snow & very rarely drive it below 40F. luckily i work from home so the car is not a daily driver at all. i think i have to stick with runflats since its a lease & i will have to return it with them & these michelins sounds like the way to go. 18k miles on bridgestones is just awful, i have gotten 6k more miles on other brand run flats in the past.

If you want to stay with RFT I would go with Michelin PS2 RFT otherwise Michelin Pilot Super Sport. You can tell the difference between the two.

Yup, that's the best option if you're going to stick with run flats, you'll also need to go to a 225/40/18 and 255/35/18 instead of the stock 215/40/18 and 245/35/18. The stock size really limits your options. I'm not sure if you'll be able to return it with different size tires though, not really sure how all that lease stuff works.

Holy cow, only 18k miles on the Bridgestones! I got close to 60k on mine on my 08 128 vert. I'm now even more thankful I didn't order it with the staggard sport setup!

Since you didn't get the ZSP, your Bridgestones were most likely Turanza EL42s which are touring all-season RFTs. The OP has Potenza 050As which are performance summer tires - a totally different animal.

While the 050A generally lasts from about 15 to 20K miles on the rear wheels, the EL42s on my E91 will easily last 40 to 50,000 miles. Naturally, there is a noticeable performance difference between the two. Point being that tire model is probably even more important than tire brand name.

OP, whatever your final decision, I'd urge you to have 4 tires of the same brand and model mounted. Othrwise, the emergency handling and traction could be unpredictable.

No, the stock RE050As RFTs last 15-20k if you drive normally, you can burn them up in 10k if you push them.

+1. This is at least true for the 135i M-Sport with it's staggered setup. I have been extremely disappointed with the crappy tire life and the cost of replacements. I'm probably going to replace with much better tires than these as my Bridgestones are pretty bald now. While not down to the wear bars, the traction is atrocious. I'll wait until the new year though... almost time to put on the winter wheels anyway

The Bridgestone RE 050A run flats only lasted 15,000km (9,000 miles) on the rear of our stock 135i, the front tyres still had 60% tread when removed, but that's about the same mileage as we will get from the current Michelin non run flat PSS tyres, too. It depends on how and where the car is driven. My son managed about 12,000km (7,000 miles) on a set of Dunlop Star Specs with his GIAC stage 1 135i, but he did 3 auto cross sessions besides the other mixed use.

If you use the power of these cars, expect to use at least one set of tyres per year. My stock Z4M also gets about 10,000 (6,000) to 15,000km (9,000 miles) from it's rear tyres, once I fit the 480bhp supercharger kit that I just ordered, I expect shorter tyre life, if not, what's the point in adding the extra power?

I also have concerns about tire wear on my 135i Cabrolet. It's a cherry 2008 I bought last year certified with 9400 miles on it. Dealer was boasting his great deal delivering with a new set of tires. Didn't think anything negative at the time but should have been skeptical, why? It's the wife's car she babies and I'm not that hard on it when I take it out. 14000 miles later and tires have seen better days and have an unusual cup edge sharpness on the rear side of all tread surfaces. These are Bridgestone Potenza RE050A, 215/40R18 front and 245/35R18 rear.

Four wheel alignment this summer looking for a reason for poor tire wear, which was slightly out they said. I run separate wheels and snows through the winter that are Perrelli from TireRack.com and so far still look new. Anyone seen this strange sharp edge on the rear of the tread surfaces? New to me and I've had a few hot rods including a 328xi last for 3 years. Tires were acceptable when I turned in my lease. I bought this one and plan to keep it but looks like tires are going to be a continuing expense.